With the Daughter of the Night
by Flamehair Fantasy
Summary: During The Great Hunt Rand, Loial and Hurin are sent into an alternate world. What if only Rand was sent? How would the relationship between Rand al'Thor and the Lady Selene of Cairhien change? A different outlook at what might have been. Rand/Lanfear
1. Chapter 1: A Change in Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own the Wheel of Time. The world of the Wheel of Time belongs to the late Robert Jordan. I am simply a writer exploring the different possibilities in the Wheel of Time.

With the Daughter of the Night

Chapter 1 – A Change in Plans

Lanfear approached the camp of Shienarians without much caution. She had woven a barrier around herself, so that even the bending of the grass could not be heard. She approached silently without worry of waking up the soldiers. Approaching Rand al'Thor's tent, she found the ogier and the sniffer sleeping next to her former lover. This was the first time she was able to get a look at his new body.

He was tall, just about as tall as he used to be, with reddish hair, and a fairly slim build. His eyes were closed, but she knew they were blue-gray from the few times she had been able to glance at him. Overall, he looked ravishing and in a few short days she would ravish him. Her plan was ready to be set into motion.

She had anticipated him sleeping alone, so quickly she thought if she should send just him or all three of them and their horses to the alternate world. In this position it would be much easier for her to just send all three, since they were clumped together. Lanfear was about to send all three of them, but suddenly a thought struck her. She would change her plans. Rand al'Thor would be easier to seduce if he was alone and scared.

Making a quick decision, she silently levitated Lews Therin next to the portal stone. This way she wouldn't have to worry about teasing him or finding alone time. He would be stuck with the Daughter of the Night. Next, after silently waking his horse, she placed a compulsion charm on it to stand next to the portal stone. She also brought her own horse over, as she planned to go with him. It would be easier that way.

She would be able to look over him until she was able to reveal herself. The previous day, she had disguised herself with a weave of invisibility and had spied on Ishamael. He was planning on visiting Lews Therin tomorrow night. The fool was so arrogant, he didn't even set wards. Sometimes she thought that Ishamael really believed he was the Great Lord. Until the visit she could do nothing. However, after their meeting she would place a weave on him that would prevent Ishamael from locating him. She had to be the only influence on him for her plans to come to fruition.

She would convince him that she was the Lady Selene of Cairhien. He would be befuddled by her beauty and after one night of love making, he would be hers to control. Lanfear smiled cruelly. After seducing him, she would spirit him away and after some time, they would reveal themselves, showing the world the power of the Dragon. There would be no stopping the Lord of the Morning and the Daughter of the Night combined.

After aligning the horses, Lanfear's smile widened. The hard part was done. Everyone was still asleep and she had the Lord of the Morning right where she wanted him. Without a second thought, she embraced the True Source, focusing on her former and soon to be lover, the two horses and the Portal Stone. With her gaze on the desired symbol, she willed her power into the stone and suddenly, without a sound they disappeared.

* * *

Rand al'Thor groggily turned over in his blankets. Ingtar would be waking him up any time now. If he could just get a little more sleep, he would be good for the day. However, knowing that he didn't want to be the reason for a delay, he opened his eyes. As soon as his eyes were open, Rand knew something was seriously wrong.

The first sign that something was off was the color of the sky. It was clear, yet strangely gray, without the full light of the sun. The sun was out, but like the rest of the sky seemed clouded, despite the lack of mist and clouds. There were a couple streaks across the sky, looking nothing like clouds. They were way too straight to be clouds. Light, what happened to the sky he wondered? Upon looking down, he became even more worried.

The whole hollow had changed radically, but even more worrying was that Hurin and Loial were gone. The whole place was just different. His head had fallen off to the side, near the stone Loial had examined the previous night. However, the stone was no longer embedded, it rose a good distance off the ground. Also, the hollow seemed much deeper than the night before. Rand rose out of the now deep swallow and looked about him.

The land around him looked the same, yet everything was an indistinct blur. Rand knew his eyesight hadn't deteriorated because he could see everything in the hollow clearly. Everything else seemed blurry and indistinct, leaving the impression that everything was fake. Even the plants had grayed and gone brown. There were no signs of life in sight. Just to make sure this wasn't some strange dream, Rand pinched himself.

Maybe, in hindsight that wasn't such a good idea. "Ouch," he exclaimed! This was definitely not a dream. Where was he then? The place looked the same, yet was so different. What was he supposed to do now? Quickly, Rand gathered his thoughts to try to make a plan. He would wait in the hollow for a couple hours to see if anything happened, and if not then he would ride Red south, since that was the direction Hurin said the trail was.

* * *

"Gone! Rand al'Thor cannot be simply gone," said Ingtar as the Shienarians noticed Rand's absence. Perrin was mystified as to where Rand had gone, since the scouts had not found any tracks and a few of his belongings that had been removed from his pack were still here. While his pack was gone, Perrin could not understand why Rand would leave some of his food, and his blanket here. It was almost as if Rand had simply disappeared when he was in the blanket. The top blanket was gone, but the bottom one was right where he had laid it down the night before.

Of course, Perrin understood why Rand had left, and Mat did too, if Perrin interpreted his mutterings correctly. However, Perrin was not about to tell the Shienarians that Rand could channel, so Ingtar had absolutely no idea why his second in command would just leave. However, Perrin was curious as to where Rand had gone, so he did something he swore he wouldn't do.

Almost on accident, Perrin reached out for the wolves in the area. There were plenty of them and they seemed to know of him and Elyas. Apparently they had named him Young Bull, because they saw him as a fierce, young warrior. However, the wolves in all directions around the camp had seen nothing moving in the night. This further mystified Perrin as to where Rand had gone.

Unlike Mat, Perrin felt sorry for Rand. To be a male channeler was a sad fate, especially with the Forsaken loose and The Dark One hunting him. To even worsen matters, the Aes Sedai wanted Rand to be a False Dragon. Personally, Perrin wasn't so convinced that Rand wasn't the Dragon. Several factors pointed to Rand being the Dragon Reborn.

Rand had the Forsaken after him, Aes Sedai trying to control his actions, was ta'veren, and could channel. Perrin didn't believe for a second that Aginor had simply died from falling off a cliff. Rand had obviously killed him with the power. Perrin shuddered. The true source, what he was told was called saidin for men, which carried the Dark One's taint. How Rand dealt with the taint, he would never know.

But, Rand was convinced the Aes Sedai wanted him for a False Dragon. Perrin thought Rand just didn't want to even admit the possibility. Perrin knew that Moiraine had not come to the Two Rivers by chance. She had obviously been looking for someone, more specifically Rand. From the little Perrin knew about the Blue Ajah, they were meddlers in world affairs. That was what the people of Fal Dara had said. Therefore, Moiraine would look for someone like the Dragon Reborn. He found it hard to believe that she was interested in the three of them just because they were ta'veren.

All of these things added up in Perrin's estimation. Rand probably was the Dragon Reborn. Light, but what did that mean? Would Rand break the world again? And, where could he have gone? With those questions in mind, he watched Ingtar ask the scouts if they had found any tracks once more, and when Uno said he could not, then Perrin knew it was true. Rand had just vanished into thin air.

After a couple of minutes, they were on the trail again. Ingtar was still muttering about Rand as Hurin led the group in the direction of the Darkfriends. Perrin was surprised how at ease Hurin seamed with his ability. In his case, he could hardly stand the thought of communicating with wolves.

Just about an hour after leaving camp, a lone rider appeared on the horizon. The Shienarians quickly readied themselves at Ingtar's order and Perrin slipped his ax off his back, even though he doubted he would need it. One rider hardly posed a threat to the whole group. As the rider came closer, Perrin realized the rider was a woman. Upon further inspection, he noticed an ageless face and a brown shawl. The woman was an Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah.

He mentioned this to Ingtar and after a quick order all of the weapons were sheathed. About a minute later the Aes Sedai reached their group. Perrin immediately recognized the woman as Verin, whom he had met a couple times. She and Ingtar shared salutations before she looked around and asked in a dangerous voice, "Where is Rand al'Thor?"

Ingtar took an involuntary step back at her tone, but quickly gathered himself and answered, "Gone, Verin Sedai. He was with us last night and went to his blankets with Loial and Hurin, but disappeared during the night. The scouts found no tracks and his blanket as well as some of his food was still where he laid down."

Ingtar handed the blanket to Verin Sedai. Verin muttered something about being able to track Rand through the blanket, but placed it aside on her saddlebags. However, she turned right back to Ingtar and said, "Tell me everything you can of Rand al'Thor, Lord Ingtar. I want to know everything he said and did."

Perrin had an uneasy feeling after this, as did Mat if the frown on his face was any indication. Verin was not here for the Horn of Valere, or to heal Mat, she was here for Rand. The column of soldiers began moving again, but the sense of foreboding, doubt, and unease remained.

* * *

Rand al'Thor laid his single blanket down for the night. He had been unable to find his other one when before he left. Rand had waited for several hours, but no signs of life appeared. Therefore, he had made his way south; in the direction he knew Hurin had pointed out. He had walked for hours, seeing nothing but the lay of the land, before finally settling down for the night.

Rand had picked out a little hollow as he thought it would be safest. The hollow was surrounded by evergreens; at least that was what he supposed they were, as they had a dull sheen instead of a deep forest green color. They would provide protection during the night, if anything approached. Readying himself for a night short on sleep, Rand closed his eyes for what would be an eventful night.

* * *

Hello again. I have decided to rewrite this story with a different twist. The story will have the same central idea, but will be very different. I was having a hard time developing the other version of this story. Hopefully, this opening chapter will give you a good idea of where the plot is headed, although there could be some surprises. Please review and let me know how you like this revamped version of With the Daughter of the Night.


	2. Chapter 2 New Threads in the Pattern

With the Daughter of the Night

Chapter 2 – New Threads in the Pattern

Rand rubbed his hand as he walked. Like the day before he was headed south to where he thought the darkfriends trail must be. Once again, he had encountered no signs of life, only the dead brush he had come across the day before. Just like the previous day there were streaks across the gray sky, way too thin to be clouds.

However, after the previous night, Rand would walk thirty leagues in one day, to avoid a night like that one. That was the reason he had a makeshift wrap on his hand. Rand massaged it to keep the blood flowing through his hand and so the skin wouldn't harden. It had all started when he woke during the middle of the night to find a dark fog rolling in.

It had seemed like the stars and the moon had just disappeared off a cliff. He knew it wasn't a dream after he had pinched himself. Once again, Rand made a mental note not to pinch himself in order to make sure he was not dreaming. Surely he could figure out a better way. If not for his palm, the pain on his arm would still be vexing. Now, it was just another twinge, overshadowed by something greater.

After his eyes adjusted, Rand had realized that the blackness was just an extremely dark and thick fog. He could feel the moisture on his face as he gazed into the blackness. Also, the fog had seemed to be building, although it was hard to tell because of the darkness. That was when Rand's nightmares burst into living reality.

Ba'alzamon had stepped out of the fog right in front of Rand. He was just as Rand had remembered him. The fire in his eyes had not dimmed and flickered in the darkness. Rand took an involuntary step back as the fire seemed to flare out of Ba'alzamon's eyes before returning to their normal fiery state.

The shadows and fog seemed to swirl around Ba'alzamon as he stood there. Once again he had tried to convince Rand to forsake the Light and join the Shadow. However, Rand had quickly denounced both him and the Shadow proclaiming that he walked in the Light. This meeting had seemed so much similar to the previous times Ba'alzamon had visited him in his sleep.

That was until his sword had seemingly caught fire under Ba'alzamon's gaze. When Rand woke, a perfectly shaped heron was branded into his palm. Rand had quickly poured water over it and bound it with a piece of one of his shirts. Luckily, he still had a few undershirts to wear under one of the fancy coats. Upon inspection, the heron looked exactly the same as the heron on Rand's blade.

When a thought popped in his head, Rand shuddered. He had heard the Prophecies of the Dragon. Apparently the Dragon was to bear two herons on his body. The very thought that there was a possibility that he was the Dragon Reborn made Rand quail. However, it had to be coincidence; there was no way he was the Dragon Reborn. Anyways, he only had one heron branded on his skin, not two.

He would not be used by the bloody Aes Sedai. He wanted nothing to do with their plots. There was no way that he was going to be some False Dragon on a Tar Valon leash. With that, the thought was quickly erased from Rand's head, but some of the doubt remained.

Now, Rand continued to rub his palm. The imprint was bloody painful. He had been forced to embrace the void for the last three hours. Luckily, he had been able to stop himself from grasping the light at the edge of his conscious. Only bad things would come from that. Nothing good could come from embracing saidin, only madness.

Rand knew holding the void for this long was dangerous, but he had no other options. He needed a cream or a poultice for his hand, but he had none. Therefore, this was the only way he could keep moving, even if he was balancing on the edge of a cliff. Rand could not afford to just sit there and wait for Ba'alzamon to come back, he had to keep moving. If he was forced to touch the True Source, he would deal with it and make sure he didn't go mad, however strong the taint was.

Through the void, Rand glanced emotionlessly around him. In the distance, there seemed to be some great spire. Ingtar had said that some great statue of Artur Hawkwing had once stood in the area. However, that was supposed to be several days away. There was no way he had traveled that far in less than two days. When he got there, he would inspect the supposedly nonexistent statue. Maybe it would give him some idea as to where he was. If not, he would just have to continue on.

In some ways this journey reminded him of the time he and Mat had traveled from Shadar Logoth to Caemlyn. The situations were a bit different, but in both cases he had an end goal, but no idea how to reach that goal. When they were headed to Caemlyn he had no idea how to keep Mat going and how to avoid darkfriends. In this case, he had to find the darkfriends and get back to his world, because he was clearly in an alternate world. However, Rand knew one thing: he would never give up as long as he still breathed. He would find the dagger and the Horn of Valere if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Lanfear stalked towards the camp of darkfriends. It seemed in the last couple of days, she had done a lot of stalking. This time, she was around the trollocs and darkfriends that held the Horn of Valere. They were a pitiful group. As soon as she got close enough she would strike them down with the Power. She just needed to be close enough.

Once again, she had placed a weave of silence around her. This time she had to be a little more careful because one of the darkfriends, Fain, was linked to the dagger and the Dark One had given him extra senses. However, he was no longer needed. The Great Lord would not care if she struck down one lowly darkfriend.

Anyways, who cared what the Great Lord thought? If she had her way with Lews Therin, the Great Lord could be damned. She would rule alongside her former lover, not under some other power. She wanted complete control. If there was one thing that she was obsessed with other than Lews Therin, it was power. The only problem was that like her love, her desire for power could be a weakness. However, if she had Lews Therin on her side, her weaknesses would turn into strengths and she would crush the rest of the Chosen.

She needed the darkfriend, Fain out of the way. He was the only one left who could track her lover. The Great Lord had given him that power or curse as she supposed he saw it. Of course, she could still track him, but that was a given. Earlier this morning, she had severed the thread connecting Rand al'Thor to Ishamael. Now, the boy was free of his influence.

Last night, she had been forced away from her lover, but she had made use of the time and avoided the suspicion of Ishamael. She had found this pitiful group of followers. Their death would suit her plans perfectly. Once Rand al'Thor found the Horn, he would be free to go with her, especially after she showed him that other ta'veren, Mat getting the dagger back.

This would also further mystify the Shienarians and the pitiful witch who called herself an Aes Sedai that was with them. The Tower would lose its last connection to Lews Therin and they would disappear for a while in order for her to train the boy. Once he had regained Lews Therin's power and had made himself clean of the Dark One's taint, they would be ready to rule the world.

With this in mind, Lanfear made her way through the brush surrounding the darkfriends. Apparently they were not worried about an attack, since they had set up camp in an abysmal location. As she walked around a tree, she saw them.

They were laid out sleeping, all of them, without even a guard. Fools, she thought. They had something as precious as the Horn of Valere and did not even bother to guard it. The worthless trollocs were all of to the side. No human would want to be anywhere near them, and the split in the camp was good evidence of this. Many of them bore goat's horns and many others had other abnormalities. Disgusting things. Why did the Great Lord even bother with such abominations?

The trolloc who she supposed was supposed to be a guard was sleeping in between the groups. Its hairy chest rose and fell as it breathed. A guttural sound came out of the beast's mouth every time its chest fell. Its horns dug in the dirt as it rolled over onto its side, its filthy body disgusting her. She embraced saidar, but before destroying the beasts, she took one last look around.

In the left hand corner of the camp, away from the darkfriends and the trollocs an ornately decorated chest lay, next to another sleeping man. The chest was woven, with golden decorations, and if the sun was out, it would dazzle the eyes. However, she took a closer look at the man next to the chest. He was filthy, dressed in rags fit for a beggar, unlike the rest of the darkfriends who wore their best. This was the Fain character, who thought he was much more powerful than he actually was.

Lanfear would have liked to wake him and belittle him before killing him, but that was not her style. A good number of the other Chosen did that and it had often given them trouble. Never give an enemy a chance was her motto. If they were killed in their sleep, so be it. She was not out to gain honor, like some other male idiots she knew.

Embracing saidar, she wove carefully controlled lightning into being. Each bolt was quick, easy, and most importantly efficient. Small bursts of light, originating only about three feet in the air, struck each trolloc and darkfriend directly in the chest, burning a hole right through their centers. Lanfear watched as smoke rose from the gaping holes, slowly drifting skyward and quickly disappearing among the treetops.

As Lanfear walked over to the chest, static electricity whipped around her making the air seem charged with electricity. It lifted her hair, blowing it about in a rage, as if a wind had suddenly blossomed and if any man had seen her at that moment he would have drowned in his own drool. Lanfear's eyes also seemed to sparkle as triumph flashed in her eyes. She was one step closer to realizing her deepest hopes: reclaiming her former lover and gaining complete power.

* * *

Rand once again began to settle down for the night. This was his third night in this strange place, with each night being one he would never likely forget. First he had his encounter with Ba'alzamon, and then the next night a beautiful woman had entered his dreams, bringing promises and advice. He knew he had never seen that woman before so he was puzzled as to why she was in his dreams. However, Rand was not complaining one bit.

She had to been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. In his childhood, he had fancied Egwene as pretty, but once he left the Two Rivers, he had discovered real beauty; at least he thought he had. Moiraine was beautiful and Elayne, the Daughter-Heir of Andor looked like an angel sent by the Creator. Yet, this woman changed his perception on everything regarding beautiful women.

She had approached him, wearing a shimmering silver dress, which sparkled as if it was made of diamonds. Her silver boots and belt also glimmered in the night. She had midnight black hair, down past her shoulders and deep black eyes that Rand could have gazed at forever. Contrasting her raven colored locks, her skin was pale and fair, looking as if it was as soft as silk. Her dress highlighted her wondrous curves that seemed to fit her body so perfectly. She wasn't plump, as Mat would have liked, but rather slim and strong. Her body just seemed to be just perfect, if that even did her justice. She was tall for a woman, only about a hand shorter than Rand himself. Overall, she seemed the picture of perfect human beauty, and Rand was certain that the Wheel had never woven a woman more perfect than this one.

As Rand admired her beauty, a smirk had come to her face. For the first time, Rand noticed how appetizing her lips looked. They were weren't too thin or large, much like her body, and like the rest of her, seemed to fit her perfectly. She had spoken to him, of her being in trouble, of the Horn of Valere, of the supposed death of Fain and the darkfriends, and promises of what glory would bring him. Rand shivered at the thought. She had promised herself to him if he were to seize glory. Light, what man wouldn't want her?

Just the thought of the woman sent Rand's mind spinning. Sure, he was supposedly promised to Egwene, but she had broken that by going to Tar Valon to become an Aes Sedai. Aes Sedai didn't marry and Rand in hindsight didn't want to marry Egwene, especially if he was to go mad. He did not want to hurt her, even if he no longer felt anything for her but friendship.

The dream had been the end of a troubling day. The statue Rand had seen turned out not to be a statue in honor of Artur Hawkwing, but rather a tribute to the Dark One. Rand supposed that in this world the forces of darkness must have defeated Artur Hawkwing. Because of this result, Rand supposed he must be in some sort of alternate world, where the inhabitants had all been killed. However, that didn't explain the lucky, but disturbing lack of trollocs in the area. If they had won, Rand thought the trollocs would be everywhere, controlling the land and eating everything in sight. Maybe they ran out of food and ate each other. This was the only thing that could explain the lack of trollocs but Rand was still wary.

He still held the void, as his hand continued to throb. If he couldn't find someone to heal it, his hand would be permanently crippled. He needed help, and soon. He was also concerned about food. He had yet to find anything worth eating here, and he was down to a couple days worth of rations. Starvation was yet another threat on the horizon. Rand knew he was in trouble.

The only glimmer of hope he had was this woman. She said she was directly to the south of him and from what she said; Rand thought he would find her tomorrow. Apparently she was being chased by some strange beasts, yet Rand wondered if he had imagined all of this. How could this woman appear in his dreams? Even so, how would she know of the death of Fain and how would she have come into possession of the Horn of Valere? Rand had many questions and knew that he had probably just had a fantasy dream, but she was his only hope.

Tomorrow, he would head south, hopefully find her, chase off these creatures, and come into possession of the Horn of Valere. Then hopefully, she would know a way back, and he could give Mat the dagger, assuming it was still with the case. After that, he would leave. He could not afford to be around any one, with the madness that was surely on its way. He had held the void too long and he could feel the taint at the edge of his consciousness. There was nothing to do but go mad and be alone. But first, he would find this woman and save her. Praying that she existed, Rand knew that whatever his plans were, he would give this woman whatever she wanted, even if it went against everything he knew. If he could only find her.

* * *

Hello again everyone. Here is the revised chapter 2. As you can tell, this story has a dramatically different plot than the last version, with the same initial idea. Hopefully, you find this version more organized and easier to read. Hopefully I will be up with another chapter within a week, but no promises. Let me know what you think and tell me if you like this story or my other story better, so I know which one to work on. Thanks. Grammer updated!


	3. Chapter 3 The Web Tightens

With the Daughter of the Night

Chapter 3 – The Web Tightens

Perrin watched Mat walk towards the other side of the camp with a smile on his face. The changes in the past hour since Mat had reclaimed the dagger had been astounding. He had seemingly regained strength upon touching the dagger. However, Perrin knew it wouldn't last. Just like last time, the dagger would corrupt Mat and eventually consume and kill him. While Perrin was happy Mat had come back into possession of the dagger, the events of its finding had been more than troubling.

They had traveled for three days since Rand disappeared, making good time as usual. Ingtar had driven them hard, but he seemed wary of being too harsh. He was obviously concerned about what Verin thought. Constantly, Ingtar was glancing over in her direction and asking her for advice. However, Verin seemed lost in her own thoughts and told him to carry on as they were. Perrin thought that she had no clue as to what was going on around them, only what was in the recesses of her mind.

And Perrin knew what or most likely who was occupying Verin's thoughts. Rand. How could it not be him? Over the past couple days she had constantly muttered to herself and clutched Rand's blanket to her chest, when she was not questioning him about Rand. She had even asked the most foolish questions. Anything about Rand was a target; from his dreams, to his eating habits, to any potential love interests. Verin mentioned the girl in Baerlon a few times and the Daughter-Heir of Andor once, as well as Egwene. Why Verin wanted this information, Perrin had no good ideas, only suspicions.

Unfortunately, his suspicions brought him right back to Moiraine. She and Verin were up to something, Perrin knew from the secluded talks the two had back in Fal Dara. At least it did not concern him, blood and bloody ashes; there was no possibility he was to be involved. Perrin bit his tongue as his thoughts ran away from him. Luckily, he hadn't said that out loud, only Mat was that foolish.

Everything had been as normal as they could be in those three days. Hurin led the way with the Shienarians following behind Ingtar. Mostly Perrin rode with Mat amidst the Shienarians. Mat's mutterings and suspicious looks were tame compared to Verin's questions. In the three days, they seemed to gain little ground on the darkfriends as they continued closer to Cairhien.

However, the situation had quickly changed that morning. Upon awakening, the wolves immediately jumped into his head. This was odd since they had not reported anything for the past couple days. Their messages were urgent and forceful. One was, "Young Bull, Moonhunter is ahead of you. Great danger! Moonhunter has killed the twisted ones. You must run!" Of course the message was all in pictures, but Perrin could easily interpret them. As the wolves discussed Moonhunter, a picture flashed into Perrin's head of dead trollocs, with a beautiful woman hovering over them.

Perrin knew that the twisted ones were the name the wolves gave to trollocs. Someone had killed them and apparently it was this Moonhunter. Perrin had never seen such a beautiful woman. She was tall with sparkling black hair and a body to die for, but for all that, Perrin would prefer Moiraine before this woman. The wolves said she presented great danger, and she was obviously powerful and could wield the One Power. That was not something Perrin wanted, definitely not.

However, Perrin had no idea who this woman actually was. The name Moonhunter did sound familiar and none of the Aes Sedai would name themselves such. That left only the Forsaken. But why would one of the Forsaken kill creatures of the Dark One? Also, Perrin had never heard the name Moonhunter in relation to any of the Forsaken growing up. The only thing close was Lanfear. According to the tales she had the nickname The Daughter of the Night. The night and the moon could be connected, but that was the only connection Perrin could see.

He supposed it would be a mystery he would have to find the answer to later. This time he would not have any help and would have to find out on his own. Verin and the Shienarians didn't know about his ability to talk with wolves and he wanted to keep them in the dark. Who knew what Verin would do when she found out and the Shienarians response was just as uncertain. Later, Perrin would try to pry more information out of the wolves.

That was probably the only source Perrin had for further information. He doubted there would be any books listing the names wolves gave to darkfriends and the Forsaken. Perrin himself new very little and had overheard Moiraine telling Lan that Aes Sedai knew little more about the Forsaken than the average person. However, she had said that ogier know more about the Forsaken due to their long memories and lives.

Perrin would consider asking Loial, but that would lead to awkward questions. Maybe if he phrased the question right it would not leave any suspicion. As much as he liked Loial, Perrin did not want to tell him his secret. Too many people knew about the wolves already. Moiraine, Lan and Egwene knew, and Perrin suspected that at least Rand and Nynaeve had strong suspicions. Mat was too clueless to realize it, but even he had started to become suspicious of Perrin, although that could be but down to the dagger's influence or lack thereof in this case.

Yes, he would have to ask Loial about Lanfear and possible other names for her. However, he would relate it to when they met Aginor and prelude it by saying he wanted to be extra careful because he had a premonition of danger. If Loial got engrossed thinking about Lanfear, he would forget any strange suspicions or thoughts relating to Perrin. At least that was what Perrin thought at the time. Now, he had no idea if he even dared asking Loial. Not after what they had found.

A little after the sun had reached its peak, Hurin seemed to grow agitated. He held his nose shut as if he could not bear the smell. Perrin instantly recognized the signs. There was great violence ahead. After about ten minutes of Hurin pointing the way while simultaneously trying to block his nose, they reached the clearing.

Perrin immediately had pulled up on the reigns. Dead trollocs littered the ground in front of him along with numerous darkfriends off to the side. All of them had holes burned through their chests. The edges of the burned holes were distorted as if they had been simmering for a while. The wounds were clearly not new. The trollocs and darkfriends had been dead since at least the previous day. Their faces all had identical expressions of shock and fear.

Barely able to control his stomach, Perrin dismounted his horse as the Shienarians did. His stomach rolled as he approached the first trolloc. It appeared to have a wide-eyed, shocked look on his face. At least that was what Perrin thought. Trolloc faces were difficult to interpret. Remembering their savagery on Winternight, a smirk came to his face before it was quickly replaced by worry.

The wolves had been right. At least they had spared him the details. If a picture of the darkfriends' charred stomachs had appeared in his head, he would have likely fallen off his horse. Even though he felt no sympathy for their fates, the death of the darkfriends worried Perrin. Who could have done this? Perrin doubted it was Aes Sedai. As his thoughts returned to the Forsaken, Ingtar gave a cry.

While Perrin had been examining the trollocs, Ingtar had made his way over to the darkfriends. He had obviously found something. Perrin had hoped it was the horn and the dagger. However, finding both would have been too good to be true. He made his way over to Ingtar's position and upon arriving he let out a startled gasp.

Padan Fain, darkfriend and bringer of trollocs, peddler and entertainer was dead. Just like the rest of the trollocs and darkfriends, Fain held a countenance of shock but he also bore his scowl Perrin knew all too well from Fal Dara. His eyes were wide and his face barred in a snarl. Also like the rest, a hole had been burned through the chest of Fain. However, what was more important was the dagger Fain grasped in his left hand. Perrin watched as Mat rushed over and caught sight of the dagger.

A myriad of emotions seemed to come to Mat's face. He went from relieved, to scared, to greedy, to suspicious and then finally to happiness once he pried away Fain's dead fingers and held the dagger in his hand. Perrin watched Mat closely. However, there did not seem to be an immediate change. After a couple minutes though, Perrin noticed that Mat had considerably more energy and was back to playing tricks on people. That was always a good sign.

* * *

Verin still had trouble understanding what they had found a few hours previously. She thought back to her actions and thoughts when they came upon the scene…

Verin studied the camp of darkfriends off to the side. She had seen many things in her numerous years as Aes Sedai, but nothing quite like this. The trollocs and darkfriends all had gaping holes through their midsections. If she did not have a strong control over her emotions there was no doubt that she would have immediately fled in the opposite direction. However, she was made of strong stuff. She would not be frightened like most women. After all there was no danger here and most women couldn't channel the One Power.

In the air, there was a faint residue of saidar. These monstrous killings had been by a woman. Verin wasn't complaining that there were less trollocs and darkfriends in the world, but no Aes Sedai could have done this. That left only one option. One of the Forsaken had been here. Verin listed the possibilities in her head. Lanfear, Graendal, Semirhage, Moghedien, and Mesaana were all possibilities.

None of the male Forsaken could be the culprits. They channeled saidin, not saidar. Of the five female Forsaken, Verin thought she had an idea as to who the culprit was. She wondered if Rand al'Thor's disappearance was tied to this occurrence at all. Rand al'Thor's mysterious disappearance on top of this slaughter was a bad sign. In Fal Dara, the trollocs had written that the Daughter of the Night was loose. Lanfear, a former lover of Lews Therin Telamon would destroy the world if she got her hands on the Dragon Reborn.

Unfortunately, Lanfear was the chief suspect in Verin's mind. The writing on the wall at Fal Dara and the little knowledge Aes Sedai had about the Forsaken all pointed to her. Apparently Graendal, Mesaana, Moghedien and Semirhage all liked to keep hidden. Lanfear did also, but the raid was probably more her style than any of the others. None of the others would come out and kill random darkfriends even if they did possess the Horn of Valere. The rest would send servants to do the killings and undoubtedly dispose of the bodies to hide the evidence.

There were definite advantages being a Brown. The Browns had a hidden library in their Ajah quarters that only Browns knew about. One such book there contained more information about the Forsaken than any living human possessed. Only the ogier knew more than the Browns.

Little was known about Lanfear's past, but they knew she was the strongest Aes Sedai to ever live and that she was a former lover of Lews Therin. Her original name was not even known by the White Tower. Verin shuddered as she thought about what Lanfear would do with Rand if she ever got her hands on the boy. The World would be broken again.

A shout from Ingtar brought Verin out of her musings. Verin calmly walked over to Ingtar, displaying the calm serenity associated with Aes Sedai. Perrin and Mat had rushed over to join Uno and Ingtar before she got there. All four seemed to be staring at the body of a particular darkfriend. Loial met her at the body. It was very interesting having an ogier around. They were untapped sources of knowledge. If the situation wasn't so grave, Verin would question him all day long.

Once she got a good look at the face of the deceased darkfriend, she took an involuntary step back. This was Padan Fain, the source of all of their trouble. At least that abomination was dead. However, in his left hand rested the dagger from Shadar Logoth. Verin watched in fascination as Mat reached out a shaky hand to grasp the dagger. His hand slowly pried Padan Fain's dead fingers away from the dagger.

Then he suddenly grabbed the dagger and held it tightly as to reassure himself. Verin watched in wonder as numerous expressions passed over his countenance. If she had the time, she would love to spend hours studying the relationship between the boy and the dagger. However, she had bigger fish to worry about.

Suddenly, she noticed why Ingtar had shouted out. The Horn of Valere was nowhere in sight. The attacker had obviously taken it. This was a huge problem. Not many people knew that anybody could blow the Horn of Valere. If one of the Forsaken had the power to summon the heroes of the ages to their command, then the whole world would be doomed. Verin only hoped the attacker, presumably Lanfear, could not open the case. It certainly appeared Padan Fain could not since he had the dagger but not the Horn.

Now they had to find the Horn and Rand al'Thor. Things just got more and more troubling. The Dragon Reborn and the Horn of Valere were missing and a very dangerous Lanfear was loose. She needed more information before she could act. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ingtar questioning Hurin.

Verin kneeled down, pretending to examine a body. However, she quickly channeled allowing her to overhear their conversation. Ingtar was questioning Hurin as to the trail. Verin listened as Hurin responded. "It just disappeared, Lord Ingtar. Somebody killed everyone here and then just vanished. I do not know how it is possible, but there is no trail. They just disappeared." Hurin went on vehemently, but Verin let the weave drop.

There was no information coming from that source. As much as she disliked it, she would have to ask Perrin. He had a connection to the wolves. Maybe they knew something. Verin did not want to bring trouble for the boy, but it was for the greater good. She made her way over to Perrin who seemed quite happy that Mat had regained the dagger. However, she would have to disrupt that happiness for the time.

As she approached, Perrin glanced over at her and those golden eyes of his seemed to study her. Maybe he had an inkling of what was coming. Even if he did, it would not help him. His greatest secret was to be exposed, at least to her. Verin would not tell anyone unless the information was needed.

Finally she reached Perrin. "Perrin I need to speak with you. Alone." He nodded as if he understood, with a resigned look upon his face. Verin motioned towards an outcrop of trees. "There is a clearing on the other side. Come." With that, Verin led the boy away from everyone and towards a life altering conversation.

* * *

Rand studied the sun hanging overhead. It was a little past midday according the angle of the sun. The hot rays from the sun beat down on Rand as he lowered his eyes. Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, Rand studied his surroundings. There were no trees in the area only brush. The brush looked brown and dead; at least Rand had thought the brush was dead, until he had been pricked by a sharp thorn. There was no way those bushes were dead. Rand had seen their likeness before.

In the blight, there were similar plants, except Rand knew that these were less dangerous. The Dark One must not be able to completely affect everything this far south, Rand supposed. However, if his plants were this far south in this strange world, his reach must be very long indeed. However, Rand tried to ignore the bushes; they were not what he was looking for. Anyway thinking of the Dark One in this troubled land was something Rand was trying to avoid.

Clearing his mind, Rand looked beyond the brown brush ahead of him. Beyond the brush, there was an open field and in the distance, a stream. The water looked cool and inviting, especially in the unbearable heat that covered the land. There seemed to be a little path through the thorny brush, so Rand made his way over towards the opening. He would head for the stream and get a much needed drink.

Unfortunately, Rand could not spot the woman that was in his dreams anywhere. This was the place where she said he would find her, being pursued by some dangerous creatures. However, she was nowhere in sight. By the second, Rand was becoming more convinced that he had imagined her in his sleep. However, the surroundings did look exactly the same and the chances that he could have imagine this exact place were miniscule.

He would rest here for about an hour and then if he couldn't find her in the vicinity of the stream, he would be forced to continue south. While she was his best hope, he wouldn't give up hope if he could not find her. After all, he did meet the woman of his dreams in his dreams. It was very unlikely that she actually existed even if this place was the same.

For the first night in what seemed like forever, Rand had a normal night of sleep the previous night. He had gotten up at the rise of the sun and had started south right away. Once again, he had encountered little life along the way. The only sign of life had been the thorn bushes that dotted the landscape. The sky was cloudless, except for the gray wisps that had been there the previous couple of days.

Within a couple hours it had become clear that he was approaching the spot he had seen in his dreams. The land had become more populated by the thorny bushes and Rand had finally encountered a couple hills. Rand knew that he would soon approach the Spine of the World. In fact the place the woman had shown him was near Kinslayer's dagger. By midday, Rand could spot the mountains in the distance. It was a relief to see the snow capped mountains. At least some things were the same in this alternate world.

Just as Rand was about to turn away from the river and gather his pack, he caught motion out of the corner of his eye. Turning quickly, Rand saw a woman with long black tresses running away from some seemingly large monster. Rand's pulse immediately skyrocketed. This was the woman of his dream, the woman who had promised herself to him and most importantly the woman who could help him get out of this light forsaken place.

Suddenly, Rand's mind caught up to what he was seeing. She was being chased, by some type of large beast Rand had never seen. She had said she was in trouble. A scream burst through the air and the shrillness of it chilled Rand to the core. He had to reach her quickly. As Rand reached Red, threw on his pack and grabbed his bow, Rand studied the creature chasing the woman from his dreams.

It looked almost like a big bear, with a green-yellow hide. Rand shouted as he mounted Red and charged towards the beast, trying to divert its attention from the woman. Having bypassed the thorny brush, Rand discovered his plan had worked; the beast stood facing him, waiting for his onslaught. Rand's grip on his bow tightened as he looked into the face of the deformed thing. Its face was angular with a wide, horny mouth that looked like a beak. It had three small eyes that seemed to be protected by ridges.

Bringing his bow up, Rand prepared to shoot. Before he could shoot the woman cried out to him. "It's eyes, you must hit it in the eyes to kill it," a melodious voice cried out. The voice, which had come from the dark haired woman, was strangely calm for a situation such as this. However, Rand for the moment put her out of his mind as he seized the void, which he had inadvertently lost after seeing the woman.

As Rand buried his emotions, he felt saidin calling to him. Usually Rand would have resisted its lurid call, but he was desperate. The beast's eyes were so small the void alone would not allow him a guaranteed shot. He needed the sight and clarity provided by saidin. Quickly, Rand seized the raging inferno inside of him and brought his bow up to the ready position. In one quick motion the arrow was imbedded in the fallen beast's central eye.

Upon the death of the strange beast, Rand let go of saidin. However, he held on to the void to keep the pain in his hand under control and for the encounter with the woman. He needed to bury all emotion for his talk with her. She would probably mention the same things as she did in the dream. He could not afford to fall apart now, not when he was so close to leaving this strange world and about to meet the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Rand turned away from the beast in anticipation of meeting the woman from his dreams. She was riding towards him. As she approached, Rand noticed that she was as beautiful as she had been in his dream. She wore the same shimmering, silver dress which highlighted her immaculate figure. Her black hair fell halfway between her waist and shoulders, shining in the sun and it melded perfectly with her sparkling dress.

Likewise, the depth of her eyes threatened to engulf Rand. They sparkled as well, despite being midnight black. Her face was alight in a wondrous smile and Rand forced himself to look away as she reached him. Rand missed the quick smirk that came to her face as she studied him. By the time Rand regained his composure she had completely dismounted. Once again, Rand was assailed by her beauty. She shone like the sun and Rand was captivated by her inviting smile.

Little did Rand know just how captivating she really was.

* * *

Lanfear internally smirked as she introduced herself as the Lady Selene of Cairhien. Lews Therin was nothing like his former self when it came to women. Lews Therin had been confident, even controlling when it came to women. Rand al'Thor had none of these qualities. He was shy, bashful and hesitant. This fitted in perfectly with her plans. He would be hers. The boy stuttered as he introduced himself. Things were going exactly as planned. This new Lews Therin would be easy prey for the Daughter of the Night.

* * *

Hello again everyone. I am finally up with this long awaited chapter. I apologize to everyone who follows my stories. While I have made promises to update quickly in the past, I can promise that the next chapter will be up quicker than this one. I know how few Wheel of Time fanfiction stories are out there so I will rededicate myself to the two stories. I have reread the books and eagerly await _The Gathering Storm. _Just remember that both of my stories will not be abandoned. Thank you for your patience and please let me know if you like this new chapter. May you always find water and shade.


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